Cincinnati Opera and CCM to workshop 'Hildegard' through Opera Fusion: New Works partnership

Cincinnati Opera and the UC College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) have announced the next workshop in their joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works: Hildegard, with music and libretto by Sarah Kirkland Snider.

A public performance of excerpts from Hildegard will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio (1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202).

Funded through a generous gift from the Mellon Foundation, Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW) is a partnership between Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) dedicated to fostering the development of new American operas. This collaboration is jointly led by Robin Guarino, professor of opera at CCM, and Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera. OF:NW offers composers or composer/librettist teams the opportunity to workshop an opera during a residency in Cincinnati. Residencies utilize the facilities, personnel, and talent of both Cincinnati Opera and CCM. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists, and each workshop concludes with a free public presentation of excerpts followed by an audience Q&A session. For more information, visit ofnw.org.

Founded in 2006 to support the work of living composers and their multi-media collaborators, Beth Morrison Projects encourages risk-taking, creating a structure for new work that is unique to the artist and allows them to feel safe to experiment and push boundaries. Noted as "the edge of innovation" (Opera News), Beth Morrison Projects is a "contemporary opera mastermind" (Los Angeles Times) and "its own genre" (Opera News). Projects have been performed at numerous prestigious venues and festivals around the world including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Disney Hall, The Barbican, Lincoln Center, The Walker Art Center, The Beijing Music Festival, New Visions Arts Festival, The Holland Festival, O Festival Rotterdam and more. Recent and upcoming projects include works by composers Michael Gordon, Ted Hearne, Huang Ruo, David T. Little, Missy Mazzoli, Emma O’Halloran, Paola Prestini, Ellen Reid, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and more, with directors Tom Creed, James Darrah, Rachel Dickstein, Lee Sunday Evans, Patricia McGregor, Zoe Aja Moore, Kevin Newbury, Matthew Ozawa, Karmina Silec, Jay Scheib, Michael VQ and Basil Twist.

Recipient of the Musical America Award for Best Artist of the Year and Agent of Change, and a Kennedy Center Next50 Honoree, Beth Morrison is hailed as a "contemporary opera mastermind" (Los Angeles Times) and "a powerhouse leading the industry to new heights" (WQXR). She created Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) in 2006 to identify and support the work of emerging and established living composers, and to create a new kind of opera, and Opera News has noted: "More than any other figure in the opera industry, Beth Morrison has helped propel the art form into the twenty-first century." In 2013, Morrison co-founded the PROTOTYPE Festival with HERE, which has become "essential to the evolution of American opera" (New Yorker).

Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920 and the second-oldest opera company in the nation, Cincinnati Opera presents a thrilling season of grand opera every summer and engaging programs throughout the year. The company’s repertoire includes beloved classics and contemporary masterworks brought to life by some of the world’s most dynamic performers and creative artists.

Cincinnati Opera is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. This project is supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. Opera Fusion: New Works receives generous funding from the Mellon Foundation. Cincinnati Opera also receives general season support from The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust, and the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, along with general season and project support from many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. Cincinnati Opera is a proud member of OPERA America. Learn more at cincinnatiopera.org.

Nationally ranked and internationally renowned, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is a preeminent institution for the performing and media arts. The school’s educational roots date back to 1867, and a solid, visionary instruction has been at its core since that time. CCM offers 10 degree types (BA, BFA, BM, MA, MFA, MM, MME, AD, DMA, PhD) in nearly 120 possible majors, along with a wide variety of pre-collegiate and post-graduate programs and workshops. The college also offers a new graduate certificate in Music Pedagogy and two academic minors (Media Production, Music).

Declared a top college vocal program by Backstage Magazine and described as "one of the continent’s major music schools," by the Toronto Star, CCM’s Departments of Opera and Voice provide one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches, and directors in the United States. CCM offers an international faculty of dedicated educators who are also celebrated professionals in their own right, widely and currently active in their respective fields. Several national opera companies hold auditions at the conservatory, and CCM students frequently advance to the final rounds of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. CCM graduates have performed on the stages of the world’s greatest opera companies, including Cincinnati Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera (London), La Scala (Italy) and more. CCM Voice and Opera program support is provided by the Mellon Foundation for Opera Fusion: New Works, The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, and the Patricia A. Corbett Estate. Additional support for CCM’s undergraduate opera productions is provided by Rafael and Kimberly de Acha. Guest directors for the 2024-25 season are supported by the Bacchus Legacy Foundation. To learn more, visit ccm.uc.edu.

Featured image at the top: The logo for Cincinnati Opera and CCM's Opera Fusion: New Works partnership.